German free-to-air TV channel Kabel Eins "is on its way to becoming the new sports channel" of the ProSieben Sat.1 Media Group, according to HORIZONT.net. After securing the broadcast rights to the UEFA Europa League, the channel also acquired the rights for the Beko Basketball Bundesliga (BBL). The rights package includes up to 10 games of Germany's top basketball league. Kabel Eins will direct its attention to the games of Bayern Munich. ProSieben Sat.1 Media Group Chief Operating Officer Zeljko Karajica said, "The Beko BBL is a young and modern brand, which perfectly fits our 'Ran' franchise. The league has been able to continuously increase its attractiveness -- in part due to Bayern Munich. We are looking forward to our work with the Beko BBL and the best basketball players in Germany." Game broadcasts will be produced by "Ran," which is the sports division of the ProSieben Sat.1 Media Group, and can be watched on Kabel Eins as well as online at Ran.de and Myvideo.de. In addition to Kabel Eins, free-to-air TV channel Sport1 extended its contract with the Beko BBL for another two years until '13-14. The contract extension states that Sport1 produces 50 games a season. Forty of those have to be on free-to-air TV channel Sport1. Sport1 will also broadcast games time delayed on its website Sport1.de and via its pay-TV channel Sport1+. Sport1 CEO Thilo Proff said, "Since 2009, when the league returned to free TV, its overall reach and market share in the marketing relevant target group have continuously increased. This positive trend makes us confident about the future" (HORIZONT.net, 8/3). DER WESTEN reported that the Beko BBL's new TV deal "allows local TV partners of the 18 BBL clubs to show up five minutes of game footage." The new season tips off on Oct. 3 (DER WESTEN, 8/3).
